After months of sweltering heat and humidity in New York City, I am officially ready for fall—bring on the pumpkin lattes, cozy sweaters and crisp air. And the best part about the changing seasons? An excuse to go stock up on back to school fall essentials. And I’m not talking about school supplies (though I do miss the thrill of purchasing fresh erasers and binders). I’m talking about some rockin’ new outfits to help start the semester right!

Accessories are the easiest way to keep your rotating pieces looking bold an on-trend. When they’re from Payless, you don’t need to drain your piggy bank for cool new looks. You can mix up your go-to looks with bags, cute new shoes and awesomely glitz and glam jewelry. After a few purchases, you’ll swear you have a whole new wardrobe.

All of the fall finishing-touch accessories in the following looks are available at Payless and brashgirl.com and are from the retailer’s new edgy brand — Brash!

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The following is a guest post by our new friend Elizabeth O’Neill, a college-life aficionado and freqent contributor to The Huffington Post College. Follow her on Twitter: @SomethingKnew.

Compared with the grind of the working world, college is a pretty cushy experience.  Still, not everything on campus is as rosy as the tour guides would have you believe.  Despite its many opportunities, student life is fraught with frustrating rules and limitations.  If you like cereal for dinner and long hikes to class in the rain, you might be the perfect candidate for college living.  If, on the other hand, you need your creature comforts in order to stay sane, you’ll want to be forewarned about the following: Read More »

St. Patrick’s Day is a college student’s dream come true.  Well, I feel like any excuse to drink green beer and wear a “Kiss Me I’m Irish” pin is a dream come true.  I’m not Irish at all, and can respect St. Patrick’s Day and all it has to offer.  Especially since last year, I managed to sport a neon green wig in public all day long and closed the night out ordering hash browns at Perkins at 3AM.

The only issue I’m having is that St.Patty’s day lands on a Wednesday this year.  You know what that means: time to figure out how to party and go to class.  Ultimately, you can’t let a little thing called “your education/future” ruin your St. Patty’s Day experience, so I’m here to help you get it all. Because if I can do the Irish Jig with a leprechaun on top of a bar (true story) anything is possible, people. Read More »

College. Sigh. It’s unlike any other time in your life. It has its own set of rules, its own unique circumstances. And it’s not always easy to navigate. Everyone needs a little guidance now and then (or always) so we’ve pulled together a variety of perspectives (the does-it-all girl, the party girl and Ms. Study Lounge) to weigh in on your life conundrums and give you the best advice we can.

Every week they’ll be tackling your questions about college. From classes to keggers to keggers before classes, they’ll do their best to respond and be your Pez dispenser of collegiate wisdom. Got questions? Unsure of a decision? Just wanna chat it up with some really awesome chics?

Hit them up in the comments or shoot them an email with the subject “College Q&A”!

Question:
OK, so I have a 8am lecture 3 days a week next semester. Even better, it’s a requirement which I DO NOT want to take. There are apparently over 200 people in the class, the prof puts the notes online, he’s apparently horribly boring and I really don’t feel like getting up at 7 to go. Especially since my next class isn’t until 2pm. Annoying.

What do you think?Can I get by without it or do I really need to be there to pass the class?

Busy Bee:
I completely understand – many college requirements seem like a waste, the overwhelming students make you feel unimportant, and the prof makes you want to jump right back into bed. But honestly, I don’t think you should sign up for a class you don’t intend on ever attending. Think about it: is there any other class you can sign up for? If not a different class altogether, maybe the same class at a different time with a different prof? I know that a majority of college students end up skipping class, but being a student who doesn’t, I’ve learned that the teachers often go over things that aren’t always in the notes. In addition, you’re paying ridiculous amounts of money to be in that classroom, so I say you make the most of it. At least sign up for a class you’d be motivated to attend, or don’t do it at all. I mean, with all that you have going on, are you really going to get up at 7am? Lastly, what’s passing for you? Is it a C or is it an A? If you’re trying to get on the Dean’s List, then get yo bootay to class! Read More »

Your first weekend at college is going to be so much fun that Monday morning will probably come as a shock to you. Wait…you mean, you actually have to go to class? Well, yes. Strangely enough, I think that’s actually what those huge tuition payments are going toward- the actual classes- and not the parties, fun, and excessive drinking you’re going to be partaking in.

I know, I know. It sucks. Because not only do you have to attend so many classes per week (some which may be held at the dreadful hour of 8:00 a.m.), but you also have to do a little thing called studying for those classes.

OK, so maybe this doesn’t scare you. Maybe you were an all-star student in high school and had no problem coming home in the evenings and studying. Well, welcome to college.

Studying is a bit more difficult in college. Why? Well, first of all, you’re surrounded by friends 24/7; friends who want to go out drinking and partying at all times. Not to mention, there’s just always something going on, whether it’s activities your college has planned, 3-hour trips to the dining hall, walks around campus, or just hanging out in the hallway of your dorm getting to know your fellow freshmen.

Unfortunately, in order to stay at college having fun, you need to pass your classes, which means you’re probably going to need to study at one point or the other. Ugh. So, here are a few study tips to that will help you keep those grades up so you can return to college to party some more next semester (we have our priorities here): Read More »

With everyone heading back to school (yay!), there are so many things going through everyone’s minds. “Will that guy from last year still want to hang out?” “Am I going to survive living in an off campus apartment?” “What the hell do I do about choosing my major?”

And for incoming freshmen…it is only worse. They are entering a scary new world. They will once again be the babies. They are going to experience their first Welcome Week, their first oversized lecture, their first time being sexiled by a wild roommate.

We at CollegeCandy feel it is our duty to steer those college newbies in the right direction; it would be unfair for us to let them make mistakes (and take the same awful photos…) and miss out on great opportunities. After all, college only happens once, so we want to ensure everyone does it right.

This week, we asked our writers to share some advice with the lucky ladies who are still in school and the even luckier ones who are just beginning. We have learned a lot from our time in college, so listen up and heed our advice….

If I knew then what I know now:

Kelly – UMass: I would not have spent my entire 4 years in a relationship. I would have not trusted every single person I met. I would have taken some yoga and art classes and I would have definitely brought some more Lysol.

K – NYU: I’d have gone to office hours. For everything. Even if you hate freshman year calc and your professor says things like “There are going to be lots of flunks on this exam” and routinely asks if he is speaking English, my GPA would’ve been much more promising.

Sara – NYU: I would be less pretentious. I’m almost 24 now, and, looking back to when I was in undergrad, I can’t believe how seriously I took myself. God, loosen up!! Read More »